Connected
by heylorlass
Summary: This is my own version of the story with new characters original characters will join the plot later on. Faolan is a modern city girl. A trip into the countryside stirs frightening feelings in her. An encounter with a wolf will change her life forever
1. Holiday gone wrong

Just a few notes that I didn't have enough room to include in the summary.

This is my first fanfiction. I wanted it to be different from the average wolf's rain fanfic, so the original characters won't appear til later on in the plot.

This takes place after Kiba and the others failed to find paradise.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Wolf's Rain or any of the characters.

Drip, drip, drip… that tap! It's driving me insane. But then again, so is everything in this place. It sounded a great idea at the time. A week away, a holiday cottage deep in the countryside. A nice break with my family, a chance to relax. That's what I thought it would be. Oh but how wrong I was.

We arrived late in the evening. The sun had set some time before and the mist had descended down from the hills throughout the region. Our view from the car was blurred from the haze. From a distance it looked quaint. A postcard view of the hills and a stream close by. Vines growing up the sides of the cottage. Surrounded in nature.

But up close it was a mess, and the cottage had been abandoned years ago.

The cottage was almost completely out of sight. The trees and surrounding vegetation had taken over the building. It was totally out of the question for anything to be asked to live in there for a week. The owners were at the other end of the country, with no contact number. They had said, oh yes, it was a beautiful country cottage fit fully with modern appliances. Huh!

We were stuck there for a week. And it wasn't like we could just pop out and find a hotel, at least not for that night. There weren't any around for at least 20 miles and with it getting dark… nobody wanted to backtrack down the long dirt track road that brought us here to find one.

My enthusiastic mother decided to make the most of the situation. She loved camping trips. 'Loved' is an understatement… she lived for them. A holiday to her, was getting back to nature. For me it wasn't fun.

It wasn't right, I thought. _Not again. Not another camping trip._ The only reason I agreed to coming on this trip was that it would be in a cottage. A comfortable, habitable, human cottage. A trip that didn't involve pumping up an air mattress.

I don't know why I have such negative memories of nature. It seemed to scare me somehow, down to the core.

Inside the cottage there were the rotten remains of furniture. The walls were covered in moss, and the air was damp and heavy. My brother coined it as he looked around with disgust, "What a dump."

The cottage had four tiny rooms. The first being a kitchen, in which the front door led into. A huge ancient porcelain sink occupied one corner and rotten wooden cupboards were arranged over the walls. The second being the sitting room. It once must have had a few chairs, and what looked like a shelf. The third was a bathroom with a broken mirror and filthy tiles. The fourth room was the bedroom. An old and roosted bed was in one corner. It had lost one of its roosted legs and it's damp, moth-eaten mattress was almost touching the floor.

I was angry at the owners. How dare they rent out such an excuse of a house to anybody. It didn't even have electricity and barely had running water.

We started to cart some selected belongings into the cottage. 'We' being my younger brother, my mother and I. Once again, my father had been sent away on a business trip conveniently around the time of our long planned holiday. Something to do with some high classed noble. He is very involved in all their funny business. I don't like it one bit. It was typical of him but I knew my mother would have a much more enjoyable time without him.

We brought our things into the middle room. It was covered in dust and dirt. But it was the least colonised by fungi and other creepy crawlies that I couldn't bear to think about. It also had the remains of an ancient fireplace. We looked up it's chimney and found that it was blocked by a few years worth of countless bird nests. We found an old broom and tried our best to poke it up and dislodge the unwelcome visitors from the smokestack.

Our mother gave us instructions and we each carried out separate tasks. She arranged our snacks from the car into a makeshift supper, mainly of crisps and fizzy juice. I could tell that she disliked having to eat our 'rubbish' for our supper. There wasn't really that much to eat, but enough to fill a hole.

My brother took in a suitcase full of my mother's clothes. Her frumpy long jumpers and thick woollen socks were the best choice to keep warm in this cottage. While I looked around outside in the gathering darkness for firewood.

I muttered as I went. This was not my idea of a break. I didn't like nature. I didn't want to be here. If I had known…

The cottage was cocooned by a wall of trees on all sides except the front where the road met the cottage. The trees were old and gnarled like old men's hands. Many of which were long dead. I reached high into one and pulled my weight down onto a thick branch which snapped easily. I knew from experience that dead wood that was still standing would burn far better than dead wood that was lying on the ground. After bringing it inside we had a hell of a time trying to get it lit without any matches, but with my mother being an expert in that department I let her handle it. After ten minutes of rubbing and twisting two sticks together and placing the glowing embers onto some dry timber, the flames sprung up.

Once the fire was going though, the situation started to look a lot better. My brother found the tap to be working in the bathroom, the one in the kitchen had long since given up the ghost. At least we were able to clean our teeth. After bringing in a few more branches we were set up for the night. We huddled together next to the fire and leaned on our jackets. This I didn't mind.

I found it easy to sleep on hard floors. I actually preferred it sometimes to my own squishy mattress. It was too… too… just too. That was the same for a lot of things in my life. It seemed to smother me sometimes. Silly little things. Food always being too hot for my liking. Always feeling to hot. Flavours of food were a problem for me as well. Sometimes anything more than salt and vinegar crisps blew my head off. I told myself that I was a freak and that I should go and live at the North Pole and eat snow.

"So, what are we doing tomorrow?" My brother asked. We hadn't talked much all evening. Our family is like that, when we work we just get on with it.

"I will wake you both up early," my mother answered, " And we'll set off out to find a hotel."

"Do we have to get up early?" My brother whined. I had to agree, I didn't fancy having to get up at the crack of dawn. It had been a long day.

"Nothing will be open that early," I added from under my thick jumper that was pulled up to my nose.

"Rubbish. Of course there will be something open. Plus, it will take a while to get to the nearest village."

I sighed dismally. My brother yawned. He was 3 years younger than I was but still very mature for his age. He has a head of short cut brown hair, and flashing blue grey eyes. He has a medium build, still boyish, in that he doesn't look 'grown up' yet. I looked over to my mother's tall figure lying in a curled position facing the fire. She has long natural curly hair that is tied back roughly. She has the same grey blue eyes as my brother but they were even more grey. They looked older somehow.

I thought about our situation. My father wouldn't have put up with staying in a house like this. He would have been straight back out the road again and be half way to a hotel by now. That was what made my mother and my father different. He would give up on a situation, while my mother would make the best of it. My mother and he were having problems. They tried to keep it quiet but it was obvious to my brother and I. We didn't talk about it. Talking about it would only have proved that it was there.

My mother works as an environmentalist. This cottage is in one of the last remaining protected forests around. For years now, the forests have all been cut down. They just don't seem to grow back now. This is one of the very last. My father works alongside the nobles. I'm not exactly sure what he does. When he is home, he never talks about it, even if we ask. They often argue about that. I'd hate to think what dirty work they make him do.

Back to the situation in hand, I wanted to get a good nights sleep.

I voiced my thoughts, "I really don't want to get up that early. We aren't even definite that there is even a hotel nearby. We're both so tired, I just don't think I could get up that early. Couldn't you go alone and come back for us once you've made arrangements."

"That will be such a hassle dear."

"We'll be in a better mood for it and will be more up for travelling later." My brother argued. This was aimed especially at me. I could be very grumpy without my sleep, plus the fact that I didn't even want to be on this trip had made me recently hard to live with.

"Oh alright. I'll go first thing, you have a lie in."

I thanked her and tried to get to sleep. It didn't take long for the other two to nod off. But I lay for a good hour with no success.

After a while I got up and placed another branch on the fire. I took a wander around the house. The place was silent. The only sounds that surrounded me were the soft breathing of my family and the crackle of the fire. I always felt that on camping trips it was good to get away from the noise of the city. Even in a quiet house, it was always noisy. I had sensitive ears, another one of my oddities. I could often hear the whine of a TV on standby or a soft buzz of a light switched on. It was never truly quiet. This house had no electricity and so it had no noise. Strange, I know.

I found myself heading towards the bathroom. I looked at my reflection through the cracked mirror.

I had light brown hair illuminated to a gold-red by the glow of the fire. I had hazel eyes that bordered on being golden. I wasn't tall like my mother, although I was slim like her. That was where our similarities ended.

I've always known I had been adopted. I have very faint memories of someone else being my mother, but I can't picture a face. My real mother couldn't look after me anymore and so she gave me away. That is all I know about her. I've never dared to ask more. I didn't want to know more. It was too painful.

Its obvious when you compare myself to the rest of my family. They are all tall and thin and academic, while I am shorter, and more athletic. Someone once described me as having elf like features.

I jumped when someone whispered my name.

"Faolan…"


	2. First glance of the future

_I jumped when someone whispered my name. _

"_Faolan…" _

_----------------------_

Faolan, it means 'Little wolf'. I've asked my mother often why she called me Faolan. She has never given me a reason. Just that it "sounded right".

"Faolan…"

I followed it. At first I thought that it was my mother or brother calling me in their sleep. I heard it again, it wasn't coming from them.

I crept outdoors, careful not to let the front door creek. The voice seemed to vanish off into the distance as a breeze blew it away. I shuddered and pulled the jumper tightly around me. The colder air was a shock from the warmth of the fire. The mist had cleared and now was replaced by the light of the full moon. The land was splashed with a blue grey light. I couldn't help letting out a gasp at the sight. Snow capped mountains were icy blue against the black sky. The stars glimmered brightly, but were blotted out against the light of the moon. The trees surrounding the cottage no longer seemed to stand like old men, but seemed to come alive again. The moon seemed to light them with knowledge and wisdom. They stood like guardians over the cottage, protecting it. A grassy valley unfolded from the cottage. The long strands blew in ripples in the gentle breeze. A stream gurgled at the foot of the hill.

It was truly magical. For the first time that night, I didn't regret coming.

I took a step forward and the voice came again. It's tone was soft but sad in the night.

My senses came alive. The air was fresh and cooling on my face. I moved a strand of hair out of my eyes. I was fully awake now.

I looked back to the cottage. I made excuses in my head. _I just wanted to go for a walk…_ because they would think I was crazy if I told them that I'd heard a voice calling my name. But none of it mattered. I'd be back before they knew I'd even gone.

I stepped out into the grass. I took small steps at first as I scanned the horizon for movement. The rustle of the grass and the occasional chirp of a cricket were the only things that disturbed the still night. After feeling braver I ran into the night, my legs rhythmically swishing through the long grass.

I felt alive. I picked up my pace until I felt I was flying. It was almost like a dream. I smiled and laughed, it was the strangest feeling. Like I had found something that was dear to me after loosing it long ago. Like a deep freedom. Almost like, some kind of defence inside me had melted.

I laughed and danced in the meadow, spinning and singing I fell onto the grassy hill to catch my breath.

Looking back at the cottage it looked like something out of a fairy tale. The glow from the fire made it appear friendly and warm. From this distance, you couldn't see the faults in it. I scanned my eyes across the valley.

I froze.

There on the other side of the hill, I spotted movement. I surprised myself but I smelt something different in the air. I was down wind of it. I watched for a while as it came closer. I was afraid. The wind even seemed to grow still to listen. The creature stopped and looked in my direction. It lifted it's head to the sky and howled. I could see it's breath rising in a mist around it.

A wolf.

The strangest thing was, I didn't hear a howl. I assumed there was a howl, but the sound I heard was very different.

"Faolan…"


	3. The pain of change

_The strangest thing was, I didn't hear a howl. I assumed there was a howl, but the sound I heard was very different. _

"_Faolan…" _

--------------------------

I gasped and raised my hand to my mouth. I was in shock. Did I just hear what I did? It had been so clear, and so mournful. I couldn't think. I just sat there, on that hillside staring. I watched as the wolf padded nearer towards the cottage. I knew it could smell us, the humans easily. It kept its distance. But then it sniffed the air delicately. Its nose went downward as it saw the flattened grass. I was sure that an expression of disapproval went across its eyes. Then it froze and turned in my direction.

Our eyes met across the valley.

Immediately a familiar feeling filled me, a primal sensation of excitement. That feeling frightened me. I was constantly afraid of it. It was so wild and free. I felt myself loosing control. I couldn't control myself if I started to let go. Who knows what might happen if I let myself surrender completely to it. I pushed it down inside me like so many times before and shook my head away from the wolf's gaze. I was filled with a guilty feeling as if I had let someone down.

From the house came the sound of footsteps. It was quickly followed by the creek of the door.

The wolf took off. It ran so fast I could hardly follow it with my eyes. It skimmed across the land, it's feet hardly touching the ground, it's fur rippling across it's muscles. In a flash it was beyond my sight. I felt myself reaching out and calling, "No wait!" But then I stopped and realised what I was doing.

My brother stood in the door of the cottage. He leaned on the frame as his bleary eyes tried to focus in the darkness. A cloud had smothered the light of the moon.

His calls rung in the darkness, spoiling the atmosphere. The world seemed to shy away and even the crickets stopped chirping. A thought crossed my mind. Why didn't they stop for me?

--------------------------

"You shouldn't go out there like that. Without telling anyone too. Its not safe."

"Oooh, the boogie man will get me!" I cried sarcastically rolling my eyes.

"He's right you know," Added my mother, "There are bears out there, wildcats…"

"Do you honestly think that any predators would come that close to here. They would smell us a mile off."

"Exactly," My brother chipped in, "They would think 'Mmm… humans for breakfast!'."

"In the middle of summer? When the forest is filled with natural food? I don't think so."

My mother looked at me with penetrating eyes. I found it hard to keep her gaze. She had never looked at me like that before. As if she was peering into my soul. "Just don't go out again, without telling us first."

"Okay…"

I dreamt that night. About lots of things. I dreamt I followed the wolf. We ran on and on til the snow covered the land. Our feet pounded the ground like an ancient drumbeat. We met other wolves. We journeyed into a bright light then faded away.

I woke up curled in my jumped and smiling. Sunlight streamed in from the window on my face. Already my dream was fading fast.

The two piles of clothes beside me were empty of their occupants. A note was on the floor next to my hand. I sat up and stretched and flicked my hair out of my face. Then I read the note. The scrawled handwriting of my brother took a while to decipher.

'_Left you sleeping sis. You looked too happy to disturb. We will be away most of the day. Will be looking for another cottage to stay in. Don__'__t know when we will be back. See you soon- Tom__'_

I folded the note and tossed it on the fire. It was nearly out. I went outside to gather some more branches. I gazed around the meadow, not even sure of what had happened the night before. Was it just part of a dream? I jumped to catch a branch and it broke off from my weight. Snapping it into several pieces I carted the sticks inside.

Flinging them on the fire in turn, I watched hypnotised at the crackling sparks as they rose up the chimney. I sighed. Why was life so confusing? Standing up I heard my back click.

I left the fire to stand outside. The gentle light seemed to soothe my feelings. The sky was blue and clear. The silver capped mountains shone. The long grass swayed in the breeze. The air was fresh and clean. Unlike the polluted city's. It choked you. But then, the city had upsides, like friends and places to go. I wondered where I would end up at if I continued to walk in the direction of the wolf last night. It was tempting. The wild feeling crept up inside my chest again.

I had had enough. This was the end of hiding this feeling. I was alone, nobody to see me. Just this once I told myself. I let the feeling take over. An intense pain shot through my veins. I clutched my sides in agony and screamed. Something was wrong. I couldn't let this happen. I tried to push the feeling down inside like I had done so many times before, but it was too late.


	4. Rediscovering

_I had had enough. This was the end of hiding this feeling. I was alone, nobody to see me. I let the feeling take over. An intense pain shot through my veins. I clutched my sides in agony and screamed. Something was wrong. I couldn__'__t let this happen. I tried to push the feeling down inside like I had done so many times before, but it was too late. _

-------------------

I must have blacked out. I lay in the tall grass outside trying to control my heavy breathing. I rolled over onto my stomach and tried to stand. My head spun and my eyes blurred as everything before me had a double. I felt sick to my soul. I struggled to think. Everything hurt. Everything. The sky was far too bright. I squinted as my vision tried to compensate against this brightness. Everything was too loud. The swishing of the grass was deafening. The smell of the grass was overpowering. Most of all the smell of the house was terrible. It stank of human. The smoke that curled from the chimney was disgusting. I groaned from it all.

I lay still for a time and tried to get to my feet. I felt strange and unbalanced. My senses started to coordinate themselves and I felt better. The pain started to subside and I found I could stand.

It was all so different. The colours of things, the smells, the feeling of the grass below my feet.

Then came the moment I realised. I looked down at my feet only to find paws, four of them.

My first thought was, this must be a dream. But no, this was real. More real than anything I had ever felt in my life.

"No…"I said. This can't be right. This isn't possible.

"Yes." Replied a voice above me. I looked up and nearly fell over. I backed away with my tail between my legs and my body low to the ground, and felt my ears pointing back, submitting to him. I needn't have worried, he wasn't going to hurt me. It was the wolf from the night before. By his scent I could tell he was old. His once dark coat was turning grey and the hair around his muzzle was white.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I? I am your friend, a wolf like you, Faolan."

"How do you know my name?!" I cried, I was terrified of this creature. Even more afraid to think I was one of them. How could I understand him? How… how?

"Follow me, pup." This wasn't a request, it was a command. I obeyed and wobbled after him. I felt so stupid. My legs wouldn't coordinate properly. It was like learning how to walk again with double the legs to worry about. We headed through the meadow and into the trees. The wind swished the leaves above us. The birds sang out in the branches above, their songs piercing and deafening to my new sensitive ears. The wolf picked up his pace. I had to do the same, the thought panicked me that I would be left behind. What would my mother think if she found a wolf in the cottage and her daughter gone. 'Oh my God this wolf ate my daughter!' I couldn't go back. I and tripped an fell over a root to my embarrassment. I stumbled to my feet and in a loped gate went after the wolf.

We came to a clearing in the trees. The place smelt of wolves. The remains of a deer carcass lay sprawled out at the edge of the clearing. My stomach rumbled. I was disgusted at my urge to take a bite out of it.

The old wolf lay down facing me. I felt obliged to do the same. I felt exhausted even though we had only gone a short distance.

"You are bound to have questions, I'll do my best to answer them before the pack returns." He stated.

Questions… I had thousands. I sat staring for a while until the most simple popped into my head.

"Ok, what is your name?"

The old wolf, looked up into the trees. A breeze ruffled his fur around his neck and he savoured it. His fur was very thick and it looked as if he was uncomfortable in it.

"My name is Marrok. I am the storyteller of the Mountain pack." He looked proud as he told me. I continued on with my questions.

"How many are in this pack?"

"12, well 11 now. We lost one of our pups to a lynx a few days ago." He replied sadly.

11 wolves. What if they disagreed to my presence. I was a human after all, or was I?

"Why did you bring me here and how did you know my name?"

"You are prophesised to come to us."

"What!"


	5. Fear of discovery

"_Why did you bring me here and how did you know my name?"_

"_You are prophesised to come to us."_

"_What!"_

--------------------

I was interrupted as an excited howl rose into the air about a mile away. I jumped at the sudden sound. Marrok gave me a strange look. I realised how jumpy I was. I was frightened. What were this pack like? Would they accept me? What if they attacked! I couldn't defend myself for peanuts. I found it difficult to even walk.

"I… I better go now." I stuttered.

"What! You're not going anywhere pup."

The yips and barks continued. Marrok's eyes widened. I couldn't really understand it all. I caught words of it. But it didn't make any sense. They were only about half a mile away now.

"What if… will they attack me?" I asked shaking. My heart thundered in my chest. I could smell my own fear.

"No. We have much bigger problems to worry about than attacking a foreign pup like you."

I still didn't understand.

Suddenly a lone wolf burst into the clearing panting heavily. His tongue lolled out the side of his mouth. As he saw me he rose his head and tail in dominance. He first looked to me and let out a low aggressive growl. Marrok stood in front of me as protection. This seemed to remind the wolf what he had came for. He lowered his head and tail in respect of the story teller.

"Marrok, the humans, they're in the wood, hunting." He panted.

"What?! How did they find us?"

"I don't know, but I'm guessing they spotted us as we passed by."

"We have to move out, now!"

Marrok looked towards me urgently. "Can you run pup?" He asked.

"I… er… I don't know."

"Well, you better learn quick."

All three of us flinched when a nearby gunshot was fired.

"Run pup run!" Marrok yelped.

I got to my feet wobbling. My heart thundered. I realised the danger in our situation. I looked like a dog… even a wolf. These people were out to shoot these wolves. They might even think I was one of them.

The other two were off. I struggled to keep up with them. After I lost sight of them, I had to follow their scent and the sound of their pattering footsteps in the distance. My constant stumbling and falling slowed me down to no end.

After a few miles, I knew I couldn't go on any longer. I fell at the foot of a huge tree and couldn't get up. Total exhaustion took over me. Even for a girl who was great at long distance running races, I couldn't keep up that sprinting pace for too long.

I held my breath to listen for the gunshots and footsteps of the humans. None met my ears. I let out my breath and sniffed the air. It was safe now. I smelt water. There was a stream a few meters away. I hauled myself up to take a drink from it. I hadn't had anything to drink since the night before. My throat was parched.

I knelt down and considered how to drink using just my tongue. I couldn't figure it out. I sighed and thought to myself, _Being a dog is much harder than it looks. _I finally got the hang of it and managed to get a drink lapping the water up like a giant cat.

I smelt someone nearby, I looked up and growled. I would bite this human to protect this pack. I don't know where my sudden courage came from. The lumbering footsteps came closer. I broke into a run and snarled. The human jumped out of the way as I lunged at him.

"What do you think you're doing pup!"

"Marrok?" I panted.

"Change into your human form!" He barked

"What!!" Now I was completely confused. I had a human form? I was a human. I had a wolf form. Not a human one.

Marrok reached into his pocket and took out a rope. He quickly tied it around my neck. I yelped in fear. I felt it tighten as he tied it into a knot. I struggled in a panic to get away. Marrok jerked the new leash, nearly pulling me off my feet. "Act like a dog," He hissed. I quietened down. I heard the clatter of boots and the scatter of leaves. In a matter of seconds later a band of humans in armour came and ran past spotting us.

"Freeze!" One of them commanded and raised his gun to Marrok's chest. Marrok raised his hands into the air, still holding the leash. I snarled fiercely. I was petrified but I couldn't show it. It took all my effort to keep from cowering beneath Marrok's legs.

"Hmph, just a man and his dog. This isn't what we're looking for boys, move out. Sorry for the inconvenience sir." The soldier lowered his gun and saluted and ran on with the others.

We waited until they were a good few hundred meters away and then relaxed.

Marrok sighed in relief. He then untied me and transformed back into his wolf form. It was so quick that one minute he was human, the next there was a wolf beside me. He shook himself, almost as if he was trying to shake of some invisible residue of being human. He turned his head to look at my shaking form.

"Come on, we need to find the others, make sure they are ok." His tone was soft and forgiving.

"Ok." I followed without question, in silence, in shock.


End file.
